Lion Links: 9/22/20

Happy Tuesday, everyone. It was a good weekend for Orlando soccer, with the Pride grinding out a draw away against the North Carolina Courage and Orlando City notching a 4-1 win over the Chicago Fire. There’s plenty to discuss today, so let’s have at it.

Aias Has Landed

Matheus Aias has finally landed in Orlando after completing the process to secure a visa, which took a few weeks. After he completes various medical procedures for Major League Soccer intended to help prevent COVID-19, he will be able to start training with the team. After being signed on Aug. 21, Aias may be ready to make his debut by the end of Phase Two of the regular season. The striker is expected to compete with Orlando City’s stable of attacking players for minutes and will hopefully add some extra bite and depth to an attack that has started to come on a bit more in recent weeks with a couple three-goal games and the 4-1 win over Chicago over the weekend.

Lions Honored in MLS Team of the Week

Pedro Gallese and Nani were both recognized for their performances over the weekend with inclusion in the MLS Team of the Week. Gallese made the starting XI while Nani was named to the bench. Gallese saved a penalty and also made an excellent save during the victory over Chicago. Nani on the other hand, scored one, assisted on another, and was also involved in Orlando’s other two goals. Congratulations to both players and keep it up!

Recognition for Michel and Other MLS Homegrowns

Benji Michel got some respect on his name for his well-taken goal in the closing minute of OCSC’s victory on Saturday. The goal was his third of the season not counting the knockout stages of the MLS is Back Tournament, and it was very confidently taken. Michel’s form for much of this year has meant that Oscar Pareja doesn’t have to worry too much about giving guys like Chris Mueller a rest, and he wasn’t the only Homegrown Player who showed out over the weekend, as 17-year-old Griffin Yow scored a late volleyed equalizer to give D.C. United a draw with Toronto FC. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Cole Bassett also scored in Colorado’s win over the LA Galaxy on the road. Joe Scally and Karifa Yao made their debuts for New York City FC and the Montreal Impact, respectively.

Elis Transfer Complete

Alberth Elis has completed a transfer to Boavista FC in Portugal. There have been rumors about a move being in the works for a few weeks now, and those rumors have now been brought to fruition. The 24-year-old Honduran winger leaves the Houston Dynamo after being with the club since 2017. He was often a key figure for the Dynamo, and already had four league goals and three assists to his name this year, so his presence is likely to be missed in Houston. Elis marks the second Major League Soccer player to make the move to Boavista this month, with Reggie Cannon completing a transfer to the Portuguese side only a couple of weeks ago.

Free Kicks

• Alex Morgan is settling into life at Tottenham Hotspur.

• Carson Pickett is the Westfield W-League Player of the Year.

• Sergiño Dest might be on the move very soon.

• We leave you today with an international match paused due to a parrot landing on a player’s head. You don’t see that every day.

That does it for me today. Y’all stay safe out there.